Speaking to Esquire, he said that he had never seen 'The Sopranos' before landing the role.

" I was just a kid when he was making it," he revealed. "I would go to the set and ask him what it was about, and he’d say, ‘Oh, it’s about this guy who’s in the mob and kind of goes to therapy.’ The hardest part of this whole process was watching the show for the first time.”

He added: "It was an intense process. Because, as an actor, I had to watch this guy who created the role, to look for mannerisms, voice, all those things I would have to echo. But then I’d also be seeing my father. I think what made it so hard was I had to do it alone. I was just sitting alone in my dark apartment, watching my dad all the time. I started having crazy dreams. I had one where I auditioned for David and I looked down at my hands, and they were my dad’s hands.”

Gandolfini also features in the forthcoming Season 3 of David Simon's 'The Deuce' - which he reveals was the first acting job he ever auditioned for.

'The Many Saints of Newark' will be released next year and also stars Vera Farmiga, Jon Bernthal, Ray Liotta and Corey Stoll.